Houses and bridges collapsed, thousands were brought to safety – and at least 71 people were killed in the floods in Turkey. And there are still missing people.
Istanbul – At least 71 people have died in the floods in northern Turkey. The rescue work continued in the affected regions, said the Turkish disaster control authority Afad.
More than 40 people are still missing, the state news agency Anadolu reported, citing Afad.
Heavy rains in the past few days have led to the worst flooding in years in the Turkish Black Sea region. The provinces of Kastamonu, Sinop and Bartin are particularly affected. Several houses were brought down by the floods, bridges also collapsed, as pictures from on site showed.
Thousands of people were brought to safety. The state-affiliated news agency DHA reported that the dead were repeatedly rescued from collapsed buildings. At the same time, clean-up work is under way to clear streets and buildings of mud left by the floods.
According to experts, in addition to climate change, the straightening of rivers and the narrowing of the Ezine River in the Bozkurt district are also a factor in the severe flooding. dpa
